Solo Quest: "Return to Dark Tower"

In previous posts, I've talked at length about how I "outgrew" the board gaming hobby in the late 80's / early 90's, thereby missing out on some amazing fantasy-themed titles like DungeonQuest, HeroQuest, and Wiz-War. But how in Bahamut's name did the original Dark Tower pass me by? 

I think it just comes down to timing. I was only 11 years old when the game was released in 1981, and Star Wars was still the alpha and omega of my imagination. In fact, if you were to show me the following two-page spread in a catalog back then, the only thing I would have noticed is the stuff on the left hand side.

Image source: http://jimsmash.blogspot.com/2012/12/christmas-catalogs-1981-1982.html

It would be another two or three years before the Mentzer D&D Basic Set would detonate a second forty-megaton nuclear warhead in my imagination and lure me into the realm of fantasy for the first time.

Ergo, by the time I was predisposed to something like Dark Tower, it was likely already out of production and / or I was spending every cent I had on AD&D hardbacks. 

Enter Restoration Games, who've built an entire business model on delivering organic, farm-to-gaming-table 'Memberberries. They gave us a re-vamped Star Wars: Epic Duels in the form of Unmatched and roped in a massive group of nostalgic gamers via their faithful reprint of Fireball Island.  

But sequel-cum-remake to Dark Tower, logical titled Return to Dark Tower, represents their most ambitious project to date. 

Here's the elevator pitch for this one:

Long ago, the sorcerer-king Azkol built a Tower at the crossroads of the Four Kingdoms. Behind its ebon walls, he practiced dark sorcery in his search for power. 

As Azkol’s madness grew, his apprentice, the sorceress Nimet, plotted against him. She stole his wondrous treasures and fled the Tower, then recruited heroes from the Four Kingdoms to stop him. One hero prevailed. Azkol was defeated, and the Tower lay vacant.

But now a new adversary has taken up residence. It grows in power, spreading corruption and calling forth wicked creatures from afar. This foe cannot be defeated alone. The heroes of the Four Kingdoms must unite and return to the Tower.

***

Return to Dark Tower is a cooperative game where heroes of the Four Kingdoms join forces, with the aid of a helpful companion, to defeat the adversary in the Tower. You all win or lose together. 

Your companion will guide you in your quest to breach the Tower and engage the adversary in battle. But beware! The Tower’s influence is ever working to corrupt the heroes. 

You have six months before the Four Kingdoms fall and the adversary’s reign is absolute. Can you repel the gathering darkness?

Still questing to breach the bleak walls of ignorance? Then click on the following magical link to glean all of the eldritch secrets in the form of yon rulebook. 

*** 

Recover Azkol’s Treasures and Defeat Ashstrider

Solo Play-through as the Relic Hunter

Month 1

Turn 1

Start of Turn: I use my Banner Action to gain a "Golden Sun" Potion. 

Middle of Turn: I Move 2 spaces to Dayside and take a Heroic Action to Cleanse the Bazaar there and remove 2 Skulls. I then Reinforce, paying only 1 Spirit (thanks to my "Prepared" Virtue) to buy the "Golden Mace of Azkol." My Spirit count started at 1 then + 2 for the Heroic Action = 3 but then - 1 to buy the Treasure, so I'm currently at 2.

When the Skull is dropped, the Tower tells me to add a River of Fire to the board, so I place it between the East and South borders! 

MONTH 2

Turn 2

New quests added to the board! Companion Quest: Miras appears in The Emerald Expanse. Adversary Quest: venture to the Upper Ice Fangs to prevent more rivers from catching aflame! 

Start of Turn: I use my Banner ability to gain a Potion and spend the "Golden Sun" elixir to gain a Spirit, bringing me back up to 3. 

Middle of Turn: I travel to the Upper Ice Fangs, remove 3 Spirit (reducing me to 0) and successfully Quest there to prevent any more fiery rivers from being placed. This Heroic Action gets me 2 Spirit back. I then take a free Sanctuary Reinforce Action to get a single Spirit, so now I'm back up to 3. 

In the subsequent Skull drop, it rolls out into the South Kingdom and I place it on the Citadel there. A Seal is removed on the Tower’s West side, revealing an anti-Quest Glyph there. Zaida’s ability kicks in, letting me draw a random card from the Treasure Deck. I get the "Axe of Soul Rending" and add it to my tableau. Then all of the Treasure Cards are put at the bottom of the deck and 3 new options are revealed. 

Turn 3

Start of Turn: I use my Banner ability  to pick up a "Golden Sun" Potion, which I  immediately drink to get back up to 4 Spirit. 

Middle of Turn: I Move 3 spaces to get to the Plains of Plovo and do a Cleanse Action there to remove the Skulls and gain 2 Spirit. I'm now back up to 6! I then spend 1 Spirit to Reinforce the Bazaar and gain the "Crown of Azkol"! 

After I slam-dunk a Skull in the Tower, rumors begin to swirl that a gout of flame from the Tower will soon rain down on a Citadel! Then the Brigands on the board lash out! Normally, I’d lose an Item, but since no Brigands are near me I dodge this theft! Finally, a Frost Troll appears in the Big Sister space to the East!

Turn 4

Start of Turn: my Banner ability lets me draws a "Siren's Song" Potion for free.  

Middle of Turn: I spend 1 Spirit to move up to 6 spaces, putting my Spirit count down to 4. Upon arrival, I perform a Quest Action, using Zaida's special ability to spend the "Axe of Soul Rending" to generate 3 Wild Advantages. I then use these Wilds in place of the 3 Stealth required to complete the Quest and gain another companion: Miras! This Heroic Action gives me 2 Spirit, so I'm back up to 6. Finally, I spend 1 Spirit, taking me down to 5, and buy the "Lamp of Hope" via a Reinforce Action at the Bazaar there.  

Skull drop...a Seal is removed on the South side of the Tower, revealing an empty space. 

Turn 5

Start of Turn: I gain a free "Purifying Breath" Potion as part of my Banner Action.  

Middle of Turn: I use my "Siren's Song" Potion to move a Troll to the Hissing Groves and then spend a Spirit to boost my Movement to travel onto that space. I still have 2 moves left and 4 Spirit. I Battle the Frost Troll there with 2 Humanoid and 1 Wild Advantage. Fortunately, I defeat the Troll without using the Wild. After collecting 2 Spirit for this Heroic Action, I then spends 5 at the Citadel to unlock the “Crafty” virtue. I then use my remaining 2 Moves to enter Tower Scar Desert!  

Skull drop: Miras misleads the Trolls, luring the remaining one from the Big Sister 2 spaces into the Decaying Wilds!

Turn 6

Start of Turn: I gain, and then immediately spend, a "Purifying Breath" Potion, which lets me remotely remove 3 Skulls (+2 due to "Crafty"!) from the village in Anza!  

Middle of Turn: I then journey 3 spaces into the Decaying Wilds Grasslands region and Battle the Troll there. Going into this I have +2 Humanoid Advantages, +2 Wild Advantages in the Grasslands (thanks to Miras!) as well as a "Fortunes Favor" Potion. The fight is pretty brutal and I'm forced to spend all of these Advantages, including the Potion, which is doubled to 2 Wilds thanks to me being "Crafty"! I then recruit 6 Warriors for ending my turn on a Grasslands space, again courtesy of Miras! 

I can't Reinforce 'cuz I'm not on a Building space, so I just drop a Skull. With a mighty roar, the Tower signals that a Troll appears in the Irontops to the South.

Turn 7

Start of Turn: I draw a "Thousand Strides" Potion with my Banner Action and then spend it to move to the Three Rivers

Middle of Turn: I then perform a Cleanse, using the "Lamp of Hope" to remove 3 Skullerydoos from Duwani Village. After gaining 2 Spirit, I spend 1 to gain "Kameria’s Carpet" and then use my remaining move to get to Duwani Village. 

Skull drop! It rolls out into the North, so I place it on Egan’s End Village. Two Skulls also pop out in the South, which I place on the Sanctuary in the Sands of Madness. Then a giant fireball strikes the Citadel in my current Kingdom, I.E the Inner Kinghills. The Brigands also increase in power, unlocking "Savage" mode! Yikes!

Turn 8

Start of Turn: I gain another "Thousand Strides" Potion and spend it to generate up to 6 movement since it's doubled by "Crafty"! I then move 4 to get to Egan's End.

Middle of Turn: I perform a Cleanse Action to remove the 3 Skulls from there. This gets me 2 Spirit, one of which I spend to recruit 12 Warriors! 

On the subsequent Skull drop, nothing happens and the Month ends!

New quests: Smuggler’s Coin in the Three Rivers and Arsonists threaten the Emerald Expanse down South!

MONTH 3 

Turn 9

Start of Turn: I draw a free "Fortune’s Favor" Potion.

Middle of Turn: I spend 1 Spirit to gain 12 more Warriors! I then play my "Thousand Strides" Potion to move up to 6, which is exactly what I need to reach the Three Rivers. I then spend 18 Warriors to complete this Quest, gaining 2 Spirit for this Heroic Action. Then I move 3 spaces to the Southern Wastes! 

Skull drop: 1 rolls out into the East, which I place in the Three Rivers Bazaar. 

Turn 10

Start of Turn: I draw a random "Golden Sun" Potion. 

Middle of Turn: I spend a Spirit to gain 12 Warriors in the Southern Wastes Village and I also have a supply of  6 Spirit. I then Move 2 spaces to reach the Emerald Expanse. The resulting Quest Heroic Action gains me 2 Spirit back! 

A Skull tumbles out into the South, which I add to the Howling Desert Citadel. The Tower rotates, the power of the Frost Trolls increases and Brigands also appear up in Greenbridge!

Turn 11

Start of Turn: After drawing a free Potion for my Banner Action, I use a "Purifying Breath" to remove up to 2 Skulls from any Building, which is doubled by "Crafty." I choose to return the 3 Skulls tainting the Three Rivers.

Middle of Turn: I decide to Battle the Brigand in the Emerald Expanse. I go in armed with  2 Humanoid Advantages, an additional + 2 Wild Advantages (thanks to Miras's Grasslands connection) and a Wild via a Potion, so 5 in total. I manage to defeat them, at the expense of 2 Warriors and the Potion as well! This scrap earns me 2 Spirit! After getting a free Longsword from my Reinforce Action in the Bazaar, I use the "Smugglers Coin" to flush the market and,by some miracle, turn up both "Azkol’s Idol" and also the "Horn of Azkol"!!! I then spend 1 Spirit to take a red-eye Air Carpet flight to the Dayside Bazaar. 

Skull drop: it pops out in the West and I place it on the Hissing Grounds Citadel. A Banner Glyph is revealed in the East and rumors start to swirl about a fireball from the Tower headed for a Bazaar! To make matters worse, a Titan rises out of the Weeping Waters!

Turn 12

Start of Turn: I pick up a random "Dragon Teeth" Potion!

Middle of Turn: After spending 1 Spirit to Reinforce in the Bazaar, I gain "Azkol’s Horn." Then, after paying another Spirit to Carpet off to the Titan’s space, I spend 4 Spirit to remove the dirty big bastid from the game by smoking it right in the noggin' with my "Golden Mace." I then Move 3 to the Howling Desert, where I perform a Cleanse action to remove the 2 Skulls there. This gives me 2 Spirit back and now I'm back up to 4. 

I drop a Skull but it mercifully produces no Events!

Turn 13

Start of Turn: I Gain another "Dragonteeth" Potion and spend both of them for 12 Warriors! 

Middle of Turn: I invest 5 Spirit at the Citadel to Unlock my “Inventive” Virtue via a Reinforce Action. I then use 1 Spirit to fly to Greenbridge and take on the Brigands there, armed with 4 possible Advantages. After defeating them and gaining 2 Spirit for this Heroic Action, I Move to the Dayside Bazaar.

Skull drop: 2 Skulls pop out in the East, which I add to the Village and the Bazaar. Another one is dropped in the Southern Citadel and a Seal on the Tower’s North side is removed! Miras goads 1 Brigand into Greenbride and the other into the Forest of Shades. Then the Brigands strike and I'm forced to lose 1 item, so I turf the "Smuggler’s Coin" since all of the Treasures I need are already in the Market! 

Turn 14

Start of Turn: My Banner Action gives me a free "Siren’s Song" Potion. 

Middle of Turn: I spend 1 Spirit to Reinforce in the Bazaar and gain "Azkol’s Doll." 

I now have all of the Treasures and Virtues I need, so I Move 2 spaces to the Radiant Mountains to complete the "Azkol’s Treasures" Quest! Ashstrider then emerges from the Tower, appearing in the Weeping Waters, and I collect 2 Spirit for this Heroic Action. 

Turn 15

Start of Turn: I gain a free "Purifying Breath" Potion and blow it immediately to remove 2 Skulls from the Emerald Expanse.

Middle of Turn: I also spend a "Dragonteeth" Potion to gather up 6 more Warriors and a "Golden Sun" Potion for another Spirit. I then drop 1 Spirit to double-Move 5 spaces to Anza Village, where I spend 1 more Spirit to recruit 12 Warriors via a Reinforce Action. I then use my very last move to wade into the Weeping Waters and confront Ashstrider! 

The resulting skirmish is intense. The first combat card forces me to lose 18 warriors per adjacent Skull...but I've been doing a good job tamping them down so there's only 1 nearby! I decide to spend my Crown to generate 3 Wild Advantages (thanks to Zaida's special ability) and then spend 1 to reduce my cost to 12 Warriors per Skull, which I pay! The next card is lose 12 Warriors per Skull, so I pay the cost again! But the next card is a real doozy: lose 30 Warriors (!), 1 Gear and 1 Treasure. I spend an Advantage to Reduce this to 20 and 1 Gear, so I lose my remaining Warriors as well as the Sword and then take a Corruption. The next card requires me to lose 25 Warriors and 3 Spirit, so I spend my remaining Advantages and reduce it to a loss of just 5 Warriors, but since I don't have that, I take another Corruption and then Retreat! Bloodied but unbowed, Ashstrider moves off to the Broken Lands! 

In the resulting Skull drop, three Skulls pour out into the East, a Titan appears in Azkol’s Bane in the South and an Ice Troll emerges in the Radiant Mountains. 

Turn 16

Start of Turn: I draw a "Fortune’s Favor" Potion. 

Middle of Turn: I Move 1 space to the Hissing Groves Citadel to remove a single Skull with a Cleanse and gain 2 Spirit. I then get a free "Golden Sun" Potion via my Reinforce Action there. Finally, I use the rest of my Move to travel 2 more spaces to the Akartus Citadel.

A Skull rolls out in the South, which I add to the Emerald Expanse. The Month ends and new quests appear, namely Vasa in the Ash Hills and the Smuggler’s Den Dungeon in Dayside. 

Turn 17

Start of Turn:  I pick up a new "Golden Sun" Potion.

Middle of Turn: I spends 5 Spirit to remove my two Corruptions. Then, after spending the "Golden Sun" Potions to gain 2 Spirit, I Move 3 spaces to tackle Ashstrider again! 

The first combat card requires me to lose 12 Warriors per adjacent Skull...but there are none! The next card requires me to lose 20 Warriors and 1 Gear., leading to my first Corruption of the battle! The next one is even worse, requiring the loss of 25 Warriors and 3 Spirit. After taking the Spirit hit, I have to accept another Corruption! The next card is clearly one that I reduced in the previous skirmish: Lose 5 Warriors. So, I spend a Beast Advantage to reduce it and incur no losses! The last card is a scary Critical Hit...requiring me to place a Skull in every Building in my current Kingdom. But since there are none, I can clear this card with zero issues! 

Victory!!!

***

REVIEW

PROS

• The strategy starts even before the game begins, since you can choose you foes based on the collective Advantages of your Character group. 
• Turns are clearly delineated and they fly by very quickly. Execute your Banner Action, then do Moves, Heroic Actions (Battle, Cleanse or Quest) and perform Building-specific Reinforce Actions in any order. I also like how you can split up your Movement to make for a very productive turn.
• Throwing Skulls into the Tower to end your turn is insanely gratifying. 
• Between the app and the unpredictable antics of the Tower, the game experience is really immersive.
• This is truly a co-operative game. Juggling priorities RE: foes on the board, end game goals and various Quests is critically important. You can't all dogpile the main Adversary as soon as it appears because ignoring other elements on the board might case them to spiral out of control really fast.   
• The Character "classes" are all pretty distinct from one another.
• As evidenced by the photos, this is clearly one of the best productions in the history of the hobby. The Tower, cards, Character sheets and the board are all top notch, but the "Dark Hordes" expansion really ramps up the game's curb appeal by adding the amazing foe minis seen pictured here.
• I'm going to be playing this game a lot. Even though there's no shortage of options in the core game RE: Characters, Foes, Adversaries, "gritty" difficulty settings and competitive mode, the "Alliances" expansion adds even more content. This is "desert island" game territory, folks.
• It's challenging. I won this solo run after two prior failures, the first being a 3-player game and the second being a 4-player game. I won this time out because I picked the optimal Character and tried not to waste a single action. I.E. I won because I learned from the mistakes of the two previous matches. Having said that, I imagine more players = greater difficulty. 

CONS

• The app and the Tower might be great for ambiance and moving the game along, but I think there's definitely a learning curve when it comes to integrating all of these unusual assets together. Only after this third game did I have a real handle on how it all worked properly in tandem.
• The Tower takes 3 AA batteries, so you might find yourself running out of juice mid-game. The app will certainly pause while you swap out your batteries, but the first time I had to deal with it, it was a giant pain in the knutz with Skulls popping out everywhere. I really wish there was an onboard battery and you could just charge the damn thing by just plugging it in. Of course, that might have driven up the cost even more, limited the life expectancy of the Tower and eventually turned it into a very odd-looking accent piece for your coffee table.    
• Because this game is so unusual, and the rule book is criminally brief, rules minutia questions abound. Normally this would piss me off, but the experience of playing the game is so friggin' immersive that I'm willing to put in the ground work. In light of this, check out my handy-dandy bonus FAQ / Rules Clarification summary at the end of this post.      
• I was lucky, 'cuz I got this sucker on a deep discount...and at the Kickstarter price. As for anyone else, I highly suggest that you have a mitt-full of nitroglycerin pills handy before you even so much as glance at the price tag. 

***

There's nothing in my game library right now that even vaguely approximates the experience of playing Return to Dark Tower. I think its a must-have for fantasy adventure game nerds, fans of the original title and folks who appreciate truly immersive and team-based gameplay.

But it ain't perfect. It took three dry runs and a thorough FAQ scouring to tease out all of the game's vagaries. For a lot of games, all of that effort really isn't worth the bother. But in the case of something truly special like Return to Dark Tower, the extra work will yield dividends and result in countless memorable tabletop experiences for you and your fellow adventurers. 

The game rates 5 pips out of 6 with a decent tilt up to the highest point on yon ominous ebon spyre.

  

BONUS!

Return to Dark Tower - Collected FAQ / Rules Clarifications

Version 1.2

Quests

• For the “Find Azkol’s Treasures” Quest, only one player can take the Quest Action to complete the main goal, so they need to meet all the requirements, I.E. possess all of the Treasures and have 5 Virtues. This includes your starting 3.

• Trees. During the mission where you must move Trees, sometimes enemies burn them down. Once they are burned they move to the nearest Forest, but what if the nearest space is the one they were already on? Do they need to move to a different space altogether? 

No, just keep them on the space that they're on.

Heroes

Brutal Warlord

• When the Brutal Warlord reinforces at a Citadel, and gains the "Inspiring" Virtue, can the player use the Virtue on that turn? 

Yes. Anything that has an "after you Reinforce" effect triggers the turn you get it by Reinforcing.

The Spymaster

• The Spymaster's "Fortunate" Virtue lets you Reinforce twice per turn at the same Building. Does that count as 2 separate uses of the Reinforce Action, or is it still just 1 Action, but I get to resolve the effect twice? 

It’s considered to be two separate Reinforce actions.

Potions

• If you’re forced to discard Potions can you use them first? 

Yes, you can spend something before you would have to lose it, but only if it's currently your turn and not during Event resolution.

• Can Potions be used at the “end of turn”? 

No. Once you’ve dropped a Skull into the Tower, you can’t use Items anymore on that turn, even to deal with Skulls or Events.

• Do Adversaries count as "Foes" for the purposes of the Potions that let you move Foes around? What about the Treasure that lets you spend Spirit equal to the level of the Foe to remove it? 

"Yes," to moving them via Potions but "No" to that particular effect since Adversaries can only be defeated by Battling them.

Specific Items

Lamp of Hope

• Do you have to be on a space with Skulls to use the "Lamp of Hope"? 

You can use the Lamp in any space, even one without a Building. To be more technical, you can take the Cleanse action as if you were on any space.

Oakstone Bow

• Can you use the Oakstone Bow on an Adversary at a distance? 

Yes. Adversaries are considered to be Foes and you get the terrain Advantage from the adjacent space that you're attacking from.

• Can you combine the Bow’s effect with the Companion Hakon? 

If you're on a space with a Building, you'd get the Companion's Advantages too. Just like with the terrain Advantages, if the Foe is on Advantageous space but you're using the Bow on an adjacent space you won't get those particular Advantages.

Lamp of Darkness

• Can you use the Lamp to remove a foe from the board mid-battle? 

No.

Adversaries

• How do Retreats work in Adversary battles? 

The Adversary battles works the same way as any other battle against a Foe. Their deck is shuffled, you draw cards equal to their level and then you try to resolve those cards. The only difference with the Adversary is that you can retreat after resolving a card and any Advantages you applied to a particular card remain, i.e., if you upgrade a card, it stays upgraded. Note that the Adversary’s cards start at "Lethal" level. If you apply Advantages to a card, they are tracked by the decrementing dots. So, when you draw a Battle Card in a future battle, you can immediately tell the card’s level and whether or not it was improved just by looking at the dots.

Companions

• Can you have multiple Companions? 

Yes.

Specific Companions

Zaida

• Are you able to use Zaida the Efreet ability to spend 1 Treasure to gain +3 Wild Advantages in the middle of a Battle, or in the middle of a card? 

Yes. You can actually do it in response to a card because you don't resolve the card until after you are done upgrading it. So, if you had a Battle Card that said "Lose 1 Treasure", you could spend a Treasure to gain 3 Wild Advantages and then spend those to upgrade that card. In fact, that's a great strategy since you're going to be forced to discard the Treasure anyway. By using Zaida's ability to get 3 Advantages for it, you can upgrade that card and potentially gain something if you fully upgrade it.

Grigor and Yana

• When I best them, do I then gain them as Companions? 

Yes.

Yana

• Does Yana’s ability mean that you never lose more than one Corruption over the course of an entire Battle, regardless of how many cards you can't fulfill? I.E. you can't gain more than one Corruption? 

Correct. Take note that this ability only applies to level 2, 3 or 4 Foes.

Isa

• Isa offered us a deal where one of the choices was to “collectively” lose Warriors. What happens if we don’t have enough Warriors altogether? 

Players lose all of their available Warriors, and then each player who couldn't satisfy the entire requirement gains a Corruption. Note that this is a rare special occasion which involves “collective” losses.

Dungeons

• Can you use your Kingdom Virtue in a Dungeon if it's on your terrain type? 

Yes.

• You can spend only 1 Advantage per Dungeon room and terrain Advantages apply as per the keyword on the Dungeon tile.

• Dungeon rooms do not count as Battle Cards for the purpose of Gear effects, etc. I.E. you can’t use Leather Armour to reduce Hero loss in a dungeon, only against your Foe's Battle Cards.

• In the dungeon exploration example on page 9 of the rulebook, it shows you losing your Longsword in the first room, but then using its Advantage in the second room. Is this a typo, or am I missing something? 

You always calculate your Advantages before taking your Heroic Action. If you spend or lose the source of an Advantage in the middle of an Action, the Advantage still applies until the end of the Action. In fact, some game effects allow you to gain more Advantages in the middle of a Heroic Action. You can spend up to 10 Advantages during a Heroic Action.

Heroic Actions

Cleanse

• You can only Cleanse in a space with Skulls.

Moving

• What happens if a Hero's base Move changes, say by gaining or losing their "Trusted Maps" partway through their Move? 

This effect does not apply until your next turn.

Advantages

• What's the difference between Spending Advantages and Spending Items? 

When you spend an Advantage, you don't return the Item that created it. For example, if you have a Quest which requires you to spend 4 Magic Advantages, you just need the Advantages when you perform the Quest Heroic Action. If the source of the Advantage requires you to spend the Item to receive the advantage, then return that item back to its appropriate place. If the Advantage is automatic (indicated by a black arrow on cards), you don't need to spend (or discard) the source of the Advantage in order to get it. Another example: if a Companion grants +2 Wild Advantages while in the Hills, and the Quest is in a Hills space, you automatically have those 2 Advantages to apply to the Quest's requirements. Example #3: if a Treasure card says: "Spend to gain +4 Magic Advantages", and you need those Magic Advantages to complete your current Quest, you can spend (I.E. discard) that Treasure to gain those 4 Magic Advantages.

Foes, Adversaries and Battling

• Even if you don’t have enough of a resource, remember to remove as much of that resource as you can. For example: if a card requires 1 Potion and 15 Warriors and you have a Potion and 12 Warriors, remove the Potion and the 12 Warriors and then take a single  Corruption. Please note that you can only gain one Corruption per failed card. 

• Adversaries can’t be removed with a “Remove a Foe” effect. They can only be defeated in Battle. 

• When Moving monsters do you have to move them towards buildings? 

No, it's the player's choice.

• If a Battle Card gives me an Item that provides an Advantage that I can used against that type of Foe, can I use it in the current battle? 

Yes. You can use Advantages you gain during a battle in that battle.

• If a Battle Card causes me to lose an Item that gave me an Advantage against that current foe, can I still use that Advantage in the current battle? 

Yes. You calculate your Advantages when you take the Heroic Action. If you lose the source of an Advantage, you do not lose the Advantage and can still spend it on a subsequent Battle Card in that Battle.

Specific Foes

Dragons

• "The Dragon Strike!" Event says "lose a Treasure if the Dragon is in your Kingdom." It should read: "Each Hero with a Dragon in their current Kingdom loses a Treasure."

Shadow Wolves 

• How do I resolve their “Strike”? 

If a Shadow Wolf is adjacent to a space with a hero, the Wolf moves to that space. Then, each Hero loses 3 Warriors for each Shadow Wolf on their space. If there were no Shadow Wolves on or adjacent to a Hero then no Wolves are moved and nothing happens.

Corruption

• Can I gain a Corruption from an effect that does not make me lose Items or resources? For example, if an Event requires me to place 2 Skulls on a particular Building and that Building is destroyed, do I gain a Corruption? What happens to the Skulls? 

The two most common ways you gain a Corruption are : when a Battle Card, Dungeon room, Event, or other game effect causes you to lose things that you don’t have or when a Building is destroyed by the placement of a fourth Skull. You cannot gain more than 1 Corruption from a single Battle Card, Dungeon room, or Event. Take as many losses or place as many Skulls as you can, and then take a Corruption. Any Skulls you cannot place are removed from the game. You gain a Corruption each time a Building in your Home Kingdom is destroyed. So, in the example above, you would gain a Corruption because you needed to place Skulls on a destroyed Building. Even though there were 2 Skulls to place you only gain one Corruption and they're removed from the game.

• You gain a Corruption when you cannot fully resolve an Event, Battle Card, or Dungeon room. Some effects affect multiple players. Each player who can't fully resolve it resolves as much as they can and gains a Corruption.

• During a Battle with a Foe, I gained a Corruption card that limits you to spending 4 Advantages per turn. Would this take place immediately? 

Yes. If you've already spent 4 or more Advantages, you can't spend any more for the rest of that turn, including the rest of a Battle that you're already in. It's true that you don't lose Advantages you've already generated, but this Corruption limits how many you can spend.  

Virtues

• When you are instructed to lose a Virtue, does that mean remove one from the game or flip an active Virtue tile to its inactive side? 

You have to select either your Champion Virtue, or one Character Virtue that you've already unlocked, and remove it from the game.

Seals

• When the app tells me to remove a Seal on the Tower, how do I know which Seal to remove? 

The Tower will do a brief light animation and then a set of lights will stay lit. The two lights on the edge of the Tower show you which face of the Tower the Seal is on. Then, look to see which specific Seal is lit up from behind to know which one to remove. The lights on the edge are near the bottom Seal, but that might not be the specific Seal to remove. The Seal light might be harder to see if your room is very brightly lit or you're looking at the Tower from a higher angle.

• The rules state that you suffer the penalty of the Seal if it’s facing you, but sometimes it's lit up and other times it's not. Does the penalty still apply if it's not lit? 

The lighting is not relevant to the rule but merely for show (and to make them easier to see). That said, revealed Glyphs should be lit. Make sure you’re removing the correct Seal when that Event pops up. Also note that the -1 Spirit Seal penalty is specific to the player seated facing it and location of that player's Character on the board is irrelevant. 

Skulls, Building and Events

• What if there are no Buildings to place Skulls on when they come out of the Tower? 

If a non-active player has no Buildings in their Kingdom already, and Skulls come out in their Kingdom, then the active player (the one who drops the Skulls) gets a single Corruption and all the Skulls are removed from the game. The non-active player will only get a Corruption for each Building destroyed in their Kingdom. If there are no Buildings, then no Corruption for the non-active player.

• You can resolve Skull placements in any order you choose.

• If a structure is destroyed in a Dormant Kingdom after a fourth Skull was placed on it, no one gets a Corruption. But what happens to the fourth Skull? 

The structure and the three Skulls on it are removed from the game and the fourth Skull gets put back into inventory.

• You end your turn with a Skull drop into the Tower and an Event triggers. Who does the event apply to? You or the next player? 

The player who dropped the Skull into the Tower makes any required choices.

• Events are the last part of a player's turn, i.e., the player who just went.

• Does an effect that places a Skull "in every building in the Kingdom" result in Corruption if one or more Buildings in that Kingdom are already destroyed? 

These effects now say "4 Buildings" instead of "each Building". So, under the Corruption rules as clarified, you would get a Corruption because you would be required to place a Skull on a destroyed Building. Remove that Skull from the game and take a Corruption.

Haggle Die

• Glyph Cost: You pay for the Glyph when you decide to take the Reinforce action. Then you can roll the Haggle Die. If it's cancelled, you still lose that Spirit. You do not need to pay for the upgraded Reinforce if it's cancelled.

End of Game

• The game ends only when a player can’t throw a Skull in the Tower at the end of a turn, not when the supply runs out!

Unmatched: "Buffy vs. Dracula"

In much the same way that Queens Gambit was one of the better things to come out of the otherwise-dreadful Phantom Men-Ass, StarWars: Epic Duels was a rare silver lining when Attack of the Clowns was released in 2002.  

Epic Duels sees twelve different iconic Star Wars characters battle against each other on four possible battlefields, including Bespin, Kamino, Geonosis or the Emperor’s Throne Room. Every character (and their allies) are brought to life by a unique deck of cards which are used for attack and defense. 

They also showcase special powers that really make the characters distinct from one another. For example, Boba Fett actually plays surprisingly different form his pappy, Jango. Add in different match types, like one-on-one death matches, team battles or even a six-player free-for-all, and you had a quick-n'-easy Star Wars game that was actually surprisingly good. 

Sadly, with so many fans already dust-binning their prequel merch to a landfill, the game quickly went out of print. But, in the intervening years, game geeks in the know referenced Epic Duels with the same sort of hushed reverence that Indiana Jones used when talking about the Lost Ark.

After a very long wait, Restoration Games got the rights to republish the game. around 2018. Unfortunately, it would be devoid of that sweet-ass (not to mention expensive!) Star Wars license. Hoping that gamers would still gravitate to the fast n’ furious, card-driven miniatures combat, Restoration decided to task Mondo Games with building new sets around open source IP’s, starting with King Arthur, Alice in Wonderland, Medusa and Sinbad.

I won’t lie to you, when that first set released, I was super curious. But, since I already owned Epic Duels, I couldn’t justify buying it, even when Restoration piled on new characters like Bruce Lee, Robin Hood, Bigfoot, Little Red Riding Hood and Beowulf. Regardless of this growing awesomeness, I still managed to resist.

But then, they went and announced a Buffy the Vampire Slayer set and I crumbled like a bloodsucker perforated by Mr. Pointy. I’d been a die-hard fan of the show ever since Charisma Carpenter’s Cordelia told Alyson Hannigan’s Willow:  “Willow...nice dress! Good to know you've seen the softer side of Sears.”

Yeah, did I mention that I actually worked for Sears at that time?       

Not that I needed any more incentive, but here’s the games sales pitch, presumably right from the Watcher's Council (I.E. Mondo Games) itself:

Unmatched: Buffy the Vampire Slayer features four heroes. Buffy will hit you with Mr. Pointy or summon her Slayer's strength for a cartwheel kick. When it's time for backup, she'll take her pick between insightful Giles or reliable Xander. Spike, a relentless hunter, seeks the shadows and calls on Drusilla's Sight to let him know just where and when to strike. Willow, a peerless witch, dabbles in black magic and risks her darker self, potent but dangerous. At times, only Tara can bring her back from the brink of the abyss. Angel, once the Scourge of Europe, is cursed with a soul, conflicted by his victories and taking solace in his losses. Faith is there to make sure things stay "Five by Five".

Unmatched is a highly asymmetrical miniature fighting game for two or four players. Each hero is represented by a unique deck designed to evoke their style and legend. Tactical movement and no-luck combat resolution create a unique play experience that rewards expertise, but just when you've mastered one set, new heroes arrive to provide all new match-ups.

Looking for more eldritch lore on the subject? Then crack open the Slayer’s Handbook (you know, that big, leather-bound tome with “VAMPYR” embossed on the front) to learn all the deets right here.  

So, needless to say, I snapped this one up just as soon as I could get my claws into it. Fast forward to now and I really wanted to do a review for this one during the Halloween season, but who would I pit the titular hero against? I'll always see Angel as more of a brooding detective than the murderous Angelus, so that was out. Willow and Buffy are best buds, so I couldn’t bring myself to see those two tangle, even if it was Dark Willow. And then there’s poor Spike, who I just see as the undead version of a punching bag. 

So, I did the only logical thing I could do: I picked up the Cobble & Fog set just to make this clash thematically perfect!

So, for completion’s sake, here’s the penny dreadful on this one:

Unmatched: Cobble & Fog features four new heroes for the Unmatched system. Invisible Man uses fog to dart around the board and strike without warning. Sherlock, with the trusty Watson by his side, schemes and calculates to ensure victory. Dracula and the sisters slowly drain you of your power. Jekyll & Hyde uses the former's cunning and the latter's brute strength to win the day.

And here’s the full Victorian novel (I.E. the rulebook), guv’nah!  

***

And, so, without further ado, I present to you:

BUFFY VS. DRACULA

Drac takes the Maneuver Action, first drawing a card and then moving one of his Sisters two spaces towards the secret passage. He then turfs a “Feint” card for a two-point movement boost, so now she’s standing adjacent to Giles! Another Sister uses the secret passage to follow right behind and then Drac and his final companion form up close by.

For their second Action, the Sister closest to Giles Attacks by playing a face-down Action Card. The Watcher quickly replies with a card of his own. They’re revealed to be “Ambush” and “Feint”, the latter of which cancels out the Sister’s “During Combat” text. Since it’s a tie, the exchange is a push.

Buffy starts her turn with a Maneuver Action and draws a new card. She then jogs three spaces and gets within staking distance of the Sister that’s threatening Giles.

She Attacks for her second Action, tabling an Action combat card and the Sister plays a card too. They're then flipped simultaneously, revealing a three-point “Swift Strike” versus the Sister’s four-point “Exploit.” The Attack is defended, and Buffy decides to use her After Combat ability to move four spaces into the mansion and get all up in Drac’s grill. The Sister’s After Combat ability also kicks in, and she draws a new card.

Dracula signals his intent to Attack Buffy* by placing an Action Card down on the table and she counters with one of her own. Dracula’s card is revealed as a three-point “Dash” and Buffy flips a three-point “Rapid Recovery.” Once again, this tie results in a wash, but then the After Combat abilities kick in. Buffy would normally recover one Health, but she’s already at her maximum. Dracula opts to back off, imposing one of his Sisters in the way!

For his second Action, Dracula Schemes with the “Ravening Seduction” card. After one of the Sisters moves two spaces south, Giles loses one Health because she's adjacent to him.

Buffy responds with a Maneuver Action, drawing a new card and then rushing two spaces outdoors to aid Giles. 

For her second Action, she Attacks the Sister that’s trying to pounce on Giles, who, upon closer inspection, looks like he's kind of enjoying being "attacked." She plays an Action Card, and the Sister has no response. Buffy’s card is revealed as a “Rapid Recovery”, which does three points of damage and dusts her quarry! Giles reacts to this by shedding a lone tear. 

Dracula decides to be conservative, declaring a Maneuver as his first Action. After he draws a new card, the Sister that was trying to flank Giles retreats two spaces back inside the mansion. The second Sister takes point at the top of the staircase while the Count himself lurks at the bottom. 

They perform the Maneuver Action again, drawing another new card, but this time the trio hold in place, clearly in a defensive posture.  

Sensing an opportunity, Buffy decides to advance. First, she performs a Maneuver Action and draws a new card. She then charges two spaces into the mansion, intent on tackling   the closest Sister, while Giles sneaks in the back entrance.

Buffy then drops an Action Card, but the Sister can’t defend herself! The Slayer’s card is revealed to be a two-point “Feint”, which stakes the second Sister. Another one bites the dust!

Snarling with rage, Dracula starts off with a Maneuver Action and draws a new card. Both ghouls pivot two spaces to confront Giles.

Their second Action is an Attack. Dracula tables an Action Card but Giles responds with his own. They’re revealed to be a “Regroup” from Giles and a “Feeding Frenzy” from Dracula. The During Combat ability of Dracula‘s card kicks in, giving it a +1 bump for each Sister in the same zone as Giles. This results in a three point Attack versus “Regroup's” defense of one. As a result, Giles loses two Health points! Post combat, the “Regroup” special ability kicks in and Giles draws a new card for his team!

Acting selflessly, Giles bolsters his Slayer with a powerful “Training” card, letting Buffy  draw three (!) cards to add to her roster. He decides to Scheme again, this time playing “Insight.” Giles looks at Dracula’s hand and forces him to throw out a “Do My Bidding” card.

For Dracula‘s first Action, he decides to play a “Ravening Seduction” card. Giles takes one point of damage from the Sister standing adjacent to him. For his second Action, Drac performs a Maneuver and draws one Action Card, but neither he nor his Sister decide to move.

Buffy performs her own Maneuver, first drawing a new card and then moving three spaces adjacent to both Dracula and the lone remaining Sister. Deciding that discretion is the better part of valor, Giles flees three spaces. 

For her second Action, she signals an Attack by playing an Action Card face down and Dracula decides to defend himself by following suit. Buffy flashes “Mr. Pointy” and Dracula counters with “Do My Bidding." The Immediate nature of Dracula's card kicks in, so he peeks at Buffy’s hand, looking to swap out this powerful Attack card for something lame. Unfortunately, the vampire lord quickly realizes that all of Buffy's cards are pretty durned good, so he keeps things as-are and takes two points of damage.

On Dracula‘s turn, he decides to play a “Prey Upon” Scheme card. This deals one damage to Buffy and Dracula heals a point*. 

For his second Action, he Maneuvers, draws a new card and then moves two spaces towards Giles, with his Sister trailing along.

Buffy uses a Maneuver Action to draws a new card and then jog two spaces, catching up to the lone Sister. Meanwhile, Giles moves two spaces back into the mansion via the secret tunnel. 

For her next Action, Buffy Attacks the remaining Sister by placing a face-down Action Card on the table, but she responds with a defensive card. They're flipped to reveal a four-point “Daring Strike” versus a three-point “Dash.” Since the difference is still one in Buffy’s favor, she stakes the final Sister into a cloud of dust! As if that wasn’t good enough, Buffy’s After Combat ability kicks in and she draws two new cards!

Sensing that he’s legitimately in trouble, Dracula performs a Maneuver Action, picks up a brand new card and then rushes at Buffy! 

He Attacks her with his second action, playing a face-down Action Card, and Buffy responds with one of her own. Dracula reveals a nasty, six-point “Beast Form” card and decides to huck out “Look Into My Eyes” to bolster the Attack up to seven. Buffy reveals a “Cartwheel Kick” for two defense. After taking a net five points of damage, she opts not to trigger her own card’s “After Combat” ability, since she has no other target. In retrospect, I suppose she could have looped back to Drac and hit him with a Chun Li-style spinning side kick. Oh, well, she's doin' more than okay without it! 

After noticing that Dracula is completely out of cards, Buffy Attacks. Dracula has no reprieve, so Buffy just reveals her “Mr. Pointy” Action Card and clobbers him for five points of unopposed damage to. Sensing the kill, Buffy performs a display of “Slayer Strength”, which inflicts four more damage. This launches the vampire into the adjacent space, causing an additional point of damage! Dracula’s down to only two points of Health now...yikes!

Dracula takes a Maneuver Action, draws a card and then retreats two spaces towards the secret passage. 

He does this one more time, drawing a second card and leaping out to block Giles as the Watcher stealthily creeps down the hallway of the mansion.

Spooked by Dracula’s sudden appearance, Giles Schemes up an “Insight.” He looks at Dracula’s hand and forces him to throw out his only Defense card: “Exploit.” 

He then Attacks Dracula, playing a face down Action Card. Now defenseless, Dracula can only except the damage, which turns out to be a four-point “Daring Strike"...more than enough to polish off the vampire lord!

FINAL TALLY

Buffy’s Remaining Health: 8

Giles’s Remaining Health: 2

***

POST MATCH COMMENTARY

I can just picture the veteran Unmatched players out there practically tearing their own hair out seeing how poorly I played Dracula. There were at least two occasions (marked above with an *) where good ol' Vlad started his turn next to an adversary but didn’t use his Special Ability, which would have seen him gain back a Health point and draw an Action Card. Je suis le dumbass. 

Having said that, Buffy and Giles are a pretty amazing duo and I’m skeptical that Drac n’ company would have survived much longer against their onslaught. With Giles’s ability to keep Buffy well-stocked with an insanely-powerful spectrum of attack and defense cards, not to mention their overall maneuverability, I’m at a loss as to how the vampire lord could have countered this.

Granted, he did kind of charge at Buffy right out of the gate. In retrospect, he’s probably better suited to a more defensive posture, with the Sisters providing an anti-Buffy buffer and swarming in when they see a weakness. Next time I’ll hold off and try to keep them in a tight-knit Drac pack.

REVIEW

PROS

• Generally speaking, the rules are pretty clear and the game is easy to get into. 
• I love how each deck is radically different and each one does a great job thematically simulating the powers and abilities of the characters. Buffy is a whirlwind of kicks, blows and stakes, Giles keeps the Slayer whip-smart with options and can analyze threats, Drac is super-sneaky and can enthrall targets and the Sisters are dangerous in a pack. 
• The combat cards make you actually feel like you’re in a scrap. There are punches, feints, ducks and kicks. Running out of cards also nicely simulates being winded during the battle.
• The game board is very well-designed and the colored spaces ensure that you never have to worry about determining line of sight ever again! 
• The art design is sort of sketchy, but it’s also strangely atmospheric. The miniatures are also wonderful! 

CONS

• One you start getting slapped around, it might be tough to stop the bleeding and rally for a comeback.
• It’s a damned shame that the Sidekicks are just lame flat plastic chips. 
• I'm thinking that there's a pretty big power disparity between some of these characters. That's not the worst thing in the world, since more experienced players can pick more challenging characters.
• I think it's kinda stupid that Sidekicks have the same movement value as the Heroes. 

Unmatched scores five pips out of six with a big ol' tilt up towards that bat-filled belfry!

   

From the Archives # 2 - "Risk: Star Wars Original Trilogy Edition"

I've been working a lot of Wednesdays so I haven't been able to get out to game night very often lately. As a result, I'm gonna hafta dip into the archives for this entry featuring Risk: Star Wars Original Trilogy Edition.

This particular match was played back on January 27'th, 2007 (!).

So, what's the deal with this particular iteration of Risk? Welp, here's the game's opening title crawl directly from Board Game Geek:

There are 3 factions in the game, each with its own victory conditions.

• The Rebellion must find and destroy the Emperor, who will be hiding at one of his Imperial Bases.
• The Empire must eliminate all Rebel forces.
• The Hutts must take control of 10 out of the 13 resource planets.

Players choose to play as the Rebels, Empire, or Hutts and battle for domination of the Galaxy. The Empire can use the Death Star to terrorize all and the Rebels can grow in the Force as the game goes on by attacking Imperial Bases. Heroes and villains like Luke, Han, Darth Vader, and Boba Fett come into play on the many faction cards that can be played throughout the game. Each faction can enhance their attack with ships.

The game includes 2 Death Stars and enough sculpted pieces representing the Rebels, Empire, and Hutt factions for 5 players. The Risk game play has been updated and enhanced with cards, ships, and The Force to represent the Star Wars Original Trilogy.

Looking to binge watch the entire saga? Then click on the following link to delve deep into the Empire's all-encompassing edicts! 

***

So, here's the game's session report, "fictionalized" at first and then broken down in less pretentious terms...

Star Wars - Episode 3.5

"Rise of the Warlords"

The galaxy is in turmoil.

Palpatine has declared martial

law throughout the galaxy. Many

worlds have fallen to the Emperor's

demands, especially as rumors grow about

the construction of an all-powerful battle

station designed to impose his will. Responding

to the threat, a rag-tag group of Rebels does what

it must to oppose the Imperials, including an uneasy 

alliance with the more unsavory denizens of the galaxy...

Rebel Commanders meet secretly in an undisclosed location in the Elrood Sector to discuss their best course of action in light of their limited resources. They're frustrated by their failure to gain a foothold on the Core Worlds, which they have unwisely have let slip to the Empire. They settle upon a "planet hopping" campaign to consolidate their holds in both Wild Space and the Isen Corridor, hoping that they can establish a springboard from Sollust and Bakura to assault those outlying planets subjugated by Imperial forces.

Meanwhile that race of intergalactic gangsters, the Hutts, are chafing under new restrictions imposed upon them by the Empire. A cargo hold filled with dirty credits is all it takes to amass a huge mercenary army, which they immediately spring on Imperial forces attempting to police the Mid Rim. The Emperor's forces are all but eliminated but stand fast on Toydaria, where the 501'st Legion successfully eliminates a contingent of low-rent bounty hunters who spend more time squabbling than co-operating.

When Governor Tarkin hears of this insurgency, he dispatches the Death Star to the Hutt stronghold of Falleen. Within minutes the planet is reduced to slag by the battle station's super laser. With troops generated from a slew of occupied planets and a consolidation of the Core worlds, Tarkin orders a two-front assault against the Rebels on Bakura and the gangster presence on Ord Mantell. Both forces are quickly routed as the Empire strikes back with a vengeance!

Unable to pass the Death Star off as galactic urban legend anymore, the Rebels become increasingly fearful. As distasteful as it is, a diplomatic envoy led by Mon Mothma and Princess Leia Organa secretly convenes with the council of Hutts led by the ruthless Jabba. Acutely aware that the gangsters have a tremendous amount of resources to harass the Imperials with, the Rebel leaders propose a temporary truce. Shaken by the drunken display of brute force displayed by the Empire on Faleen, the Hutts agree, knowing full well that this pact will never last.

Encouraged by this detente, the Rebels transport a garrison from Excarga to Bakura. Knowing that the Imperials will be able to wage an unlimited war on two fronts until their stranglehold on the Core Worlds is broken, the Rebels launch a daring strike on Byss, freeing the planet for the grateful inhabitants. Bolstered by a huge contingent of sympathizers to their cause, the Rebels also liberate Alderaan not long after.

At least initially the Hutts honor their treaty with the Rebel Alliance. The outnumbered Imperial resistance on Toydaria is finally crushed and the Hutts brazenly assault the shipyards on Kuat with bombers in tow! Eventually they succeed in occupying the planet. Their progress in the Outer Rim doesn't go quite as well as the Imperials stave off the invasion of Yavin.

When the Emperor learns of this coordinated attack against his authority, he flies into a rage. After recalling the Death Star to defend Corellia he tasks a small contingent of elite troops to recapture Byss. To ensure the operation is a success, Palpatine dispatches the Super-class Star Destroyer Executor and his Sith attack dog Darth Vader to the region. Needless to day, Vader leads his elite stormtroopers to decisive victory.

Not long after Vader is recalled to Coruscant and the Rebels see the Imperial holdings there as a house of cards. They strike hard and fast, recapturing Byss and eliminating the Imperial base on Mimban. Emboldened by all of the blood in the water, the Hutts continue their campaign in the Outer Rim. They secure Toprawa but are spread too thin to take Dathomir in quick succession.

With Palpatine's inability to drive the invaders from the Core World, his support begins to wane. Now with only four or five armies being mustered per cycle, the Imperials are forced into a defensive posture. Despite their failure to drive the Fringers back into the Outer Rim, the Emperor's evil machinations ensure that the Dark Side of the Force continues to cast a bleak pall over the galaxy.

This does little to hide the conspicuous cracks in the once-impenetrable Imperial armor. After disobeying a nigh-suicidal direct order from Palpatine to recapture Kuat, Admiral Kael deserts. He surfaces not long after as governor of a small planet in the Mid Rim, assisting Jabba in his campaign against the Imperials. Just months after the end of the war, Kael is killed under mysterious circumstances when a rabid gundark is set loose in his palace.

The Rebels continue to run riot in the Core Worlds. Another base on Duros falls, but Palpatine turns out to be safely ensconced elsewhere. The Rebels run into stiff resistance on Tatooine, where the local Imperial governor clings disparately to power. His victory is short lived, however, as the Hutts use local connections to make their attack even more lopsided. To no-one's surprise, the Emperor's body doesn't turn up in the ruins of the Imperial stronghold there.

In their desperate bid to bring Palpatine to justice, the Rebels completely turn a blind eye to the Hutts who are quickly snapping up production centers, occupying high-resource worlds, re-tooling shipyards and doing precious little to re-establish freedom for those they "liberate". By the time the protests begin, it's already two late. The Hutts, now generating units from a wealth of planetary captures and the consolidation of power in Wild Space and the Mid Rim, launch a three-pronged attack designed to seize control of the galaxy's nerve center.

Jabba's own task force on Yavin 4 overruns the tiny Imperial garrison on Balmorra. A massive invasion force appears almost overnight in Gamorr and makes short work of the poorly-defended Excarga and Elom. Via a hyperspace route near Mon Calamari, a fleet of Hutt ships swarm Bpfassh and then proceed to smash the Sluis Van Rebel shipyards into ruin.

With the truce between the Rebels and the Hutts shattered, Palpatine reveals his presence on Coruscant. He sues for peace with the Rebels, who only now realize that the unchecked Hutts have a stranglehold on the galaxy, a domination that rivals their former overlords.

After the Death Star is decommissioned, the Rebels ponder how best to proceed against this new threat, one of a entirely different stripe but no less oppressive...

***

 
Even though I really dig Eurogames, I’ll always have a soft spot for so-called "Ameritrash", if only because of the crazy stories they inspire...kinda like the one above.

Risk: Star Wars Original Trilogy Edition is, by far, my favorite permutation of the game. The write-up above was inspired by a three player game we ran yesterday between:

Me...Imperials

Dean...Rebels

 

Andrew...Hutts

As soon as I randomly drew the Empire I started cursing under my breath. In my humble opinion, the Imperials start out the game with the following three strikes against them:

1. They're spread out everywhere so they're a threat (and a target) to everyone.
2. They have a freakin' Death Star, automatically making them Public Enemy Number One at a glance.
3. Since they're depicted as the BIG BAD in the movies, the Rebel and the Hutt players will be gunning for them immediately, unconsciously perceiving them as the worst threat.

Having said that, I still managed to secure all of the Core Worlds while Dean and Andrew debated their own starting set up. Their distraction, plus a couple of quick captures, meant that I was collecting fifteen (!) armies every turn, a surplus which raised the collective eyebrows of my two rivals.

Since I already "had a bad feeling about this" I decided to come out swinging right away, repulsing both Rebel and Hutt attacks. Picking up a "Fire Death Star" card early in the game was kind of a mixed blessing to say the least. Needless to say I would have been crushed if I'd passed up a chance to fulfill my life-long dream of destroying a planet with a Death Star, but this flagrant display of brute force quickly resulted in a hastily-cobbled-together Rebel / Hutt alliance!

In order to survive this onslaught I really needed some decent die rolls but apart from a few cool card plays, I was quickly at their mercy. As soon as I lost the Core World army bonus, my end was inevitable. In retrospect I should have done more to spurn Rebel Dean into action against Andrew the Hutt's cakewalk victory, but then again, he was attacking my bases like an intergalactic Suge Knight in a desperate attempt to find and kill my Emperor for the win.

***

This game is a fun beer n' pretzels distraction. Since all three of us are die-hard OT (which stands for "Only Trilogy", BTW) Star Wars freaks, this was time well spent. And unlike regular Risk it didn't drag of for four to six hours. In fact, I'm pretty sure we were done in a coupla hours.

Some sage advise for the potential Imperial player:

• Avoid the temptation to attack both factions to earn more cards. Maybe focus on the Rebels and try to make a pact with the Hutts A.S.A.P.
• Use the Death Star defensively for the first half of the game. The phrase "walk softly and carry a battle station that is the ultimate power in the universe" comes to mind.
• Trade in cards for ships as soon as possible.

I hope this session report inspires more people to check out this fun game. I know it's luck-heavy and probably not perfectly balanced, but damned if I didn't enjoy blowing up that planet!

Risk: Star Wars Original Trilogy Edition scores four pips out of six with a tilt down towards the bottom of the Death Star's reactor shaft.

  

***

Looking to annihilate a few hives of scum and villainy with a superlaser?  Welp, you might be outta luck since this sucka is out of print. Oh, you can still get a copy through Amazon, but for the same money why not buy your own personal X-Wing?  Just check this shite out: